Ajit Pawar’s NCP fields Nawab Malik from Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar seat despite BJP’s opposition
Mumbai, Oct 29: Former Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik on Tuesday filed his nomination papers as NCP candidate from Mankhurd-Shivaji Nagar assembly constituency in Mumbai.
The development came days after city BJP president Ashish Shelar said his party is against Malik’s candidature for the November 20 Maharashtra assembly election.
"We will not accept giving a ticket to someone linked to underworld don Dawood Ibrahim," Shelar had said. "We won't support Nawab Malik and will have a different stand," he had added.
“I had decided to contest as an independent if I did not get AB form from my party. I filed papers at 2.55 pm as NCP candidate,” Malik said after filing his papers.
Tuesday was the last day of filing nominations for the assembly elections.
There is no clarity yet if there has been a rethink over the stance of BJP, which shares power in the state in alliance with the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, over Malik’s candidature.
Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said he is not aware of “official information” on Malik filing papers as NCP nominee. “I will react when I get official information,” he added.
Malik, sitting MLA from Anushakti Nagar, has left that constituency to his daughter Sana, who is making her debut in electoral politics as NCP candidate.
Nawab Malik was a minister in the Maha Vikas Aghadi government and was arrested in 2022 in a case first registered by the NIA against Dawood and his associates including Chhota Shakeel and Tigar Memon.
Malik was granted bail on medical grounds in July this year. After the NCP split, the faction led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar took the MLA into its fold, despite objections from ally BJP.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
